Floating marine structure



Oct. 4, 1966 D. R. MOSDELL 3,276,209

FLOATING MARINE STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 25, 1962 x 5 sheetsheet 1 INVENTOE DARYL R. MOSDELL 84. arrow/var;

Oct. 4, 1966 D. R. MOSDELL FLOATING MARINE STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 o fill/Z5511!yhfl'hhhhh Filed Sept. 25, 1962 larva/Toe DARYL R. MOSDELL Oct. 4, 1966 D. R. MOSDELL 3,276,209

FLOATING MARINE STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 25, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 DARYL R MOSDELL 8) United States Patent 3,276,209 FLOATING MARINE STRUCTURE Daryl R. Mosdell, 1561 Dovercourt Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Sept. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 226,047 8 Claims. (Cl. 61-5) This invention relates to floating marine structures and especially to structures made of concrete or like material for the purpose of forming breakwaters, floating bridges, and the like.

A number of different types of floating concrete structures are known in the art. Among these are concrete structures having a plurality of cells open to the water at the bottom. However, some difficulty has been encountered in satisfactorily balancing such structures in the water. In particular, it has been found that due to the varying weight distribution of the superstructure, it is desirable to have different air pressures in different cells, the pressure in each cell depending on the nature of the superstructure. Accordingly, some means must be provided for varying the air pressure in each cell. Heretofore, such means has included a pipe and an associated valve opening into the top of the cell. Thus a failure in the valve or the air pumping system on the superstructure can cause the air to rush out of the cell. This is especially dangerous if an interconnected air system for all the cells is used.

According to the present invention, the air pipe leading into each concrete-enclosed cell extends inwardly into the cell from the top of the cell to a point above the lower edge of the side walls, but below the normal water level within the cell. This dispenses with the need of a valve, since the water provides an effective one-way valve. If it is desired to remove air from a leading from the top of the cell can be provided.

Previous concrete floating structures have also suffered from the disadvantage that unsatisfactory means has been provided for attaching a plurality of floating sections together. According to the present invention, simple and yet sturdy and flexible interconnecting devices are provided. One such means is a cross bar, one side of which is attached to one concrete structure, and the other side of which is attached to the other concrete structure, the intermediate portion between the sides being constructed of a flexible material. Another means for interconnecting two floating concrete sections includes a resilient member adjustably connected to one of the sections and connected by a resilient extensible connecting member, such as a spring loaded member, to the other concrete section.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, illustrating a floating concrete structure according to the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a section view taken on the line 22 in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a detail perspective view illustrating a connecting device according to the invention for connecting two floating concrete units together,

FIGURE 4 is a section view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a plan view, partially in section, of an alternative connecting device for connecting two floating concrete units together,

FIGURE 6 is an elevation view of the connecting device shown in FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a breakwater unit embodying the present invention, and

FIGURE-8 is a perspective view illustrating a method by which the concrete structural unit according to the invention can be assembled.

cell, an independent pipe The concrete structural unit according to the present invention includes an upper reinforced concrete surface layer 11, and a lower reinforced concrete structure 12 having a plurality of rectangular parallel-sided cells 13 therein, which cells 13 are formed by concrete side walls 14. The top surface 11 is firmly cemented to the lower structure 12 so that the top portions of the cells 13 are substantially air tight and water tight, the bottom portions of the cells however being open. A suitable superstructure (e.g. as in FIGURE 7) may be built upon the surface layer 11 to suit the particular requirement.

In order to ensure air tightness, the cells can be constructed with layers 15 of sealing cement within the cells 14, and additionally, the interior of each cell 13 can be sprayed with a suitable sealing cement. Such sealing cement or liner might be an epoxy compound, a polyethylene liner, a polysulfide polymer sealant known in the art, or a combination of any of these.

The structure shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, when launched into the water, is buoyant because of the air trapped within each of the cells 13. The water level rises somewhat in each air cell as shown in FIGURE 2. This is because of the compression of the air in the cells due to the weight of the concrete structure.

It is found in practice that variations in the distribution of weight caused by variations in the superstructure on the upper surface 11 of the floating concrete structure necessitates a different air pressure for each cell in the concrete structural unit. Accordingly, an individual air pressure regulating means must be attached to each cell. The pressure regulating means conveniently includes an imperforate air supply pipe 16 which extends downward into the cell 13 to a depth below the normal water level 17 but somewhat higher than the free lower edges 18 of the walls 14. Pipe 16 has an air intake open upper terminal end 19 at the top of the structure for connection to an air pumping system (not shown), and a lower outlet end 20. In general, an individual air pumping device for each cell is preferable to a complex interconnected pressure regulating system for the entire structural unit, because of the difficulty encountered in making the more complex system work properly. Also, an individual failure in one air pumping device does not cause a general failure if independent air pressure regulating means are used.

The water lying above the lower end 20 of the pipe 16 ensures that air will not flow from the interior of the cells 13 back up the pipe 16. The water thus forms an efficient one way valve allowing air to be pushed downward through the pipe 16 thereby increasing the pressure within the cell 13, but no sudden decrease in the pressure is possible because of the valve action of the water. This ensures that an air pump failure, valve failure or the like will not cause air .to leave the cell. In most cases, the air pressure within the cells will normally tend to decrease slowly because of the dissolving of the air into the water, etc. and therefore for many purposes no additional means is required for reducing the air pressure within each of the cells. However, if desirable, a short air outlet pipe 21 might be provided in the top of each cell with a suitable valve 22 adapted to allow air to escape upwards from the interior of the cell 13. The use of two valves allows easy raising and lowering of the floating structure. The pipe 16 should not extend downwardly farther than the lowermost portion 18 of the side walls 14, otherwise the air bubbles produced in the water by downflow of air through the pipe 16 tend to move outward-1y away from the floating concrete structure rather than upwards into the air cell 13.

The maximum size found to be practicable for a structural unit according to the invention is about feet by 80 feet. The depth of the structure will vary depending upon the requirements. For example, a breakwater will normally have a deeper lower structure 12 than will a floating bridge. Unit structures larger than 80 feet by 80 feet tend to break up under the action of Waves, etc. and therefore larger structures should be assembled from a multiplicity of structural units of smaller size. To connect structural units such as those shown in FTGURE 1 together allowing flexibility and resiliency together with the necessary degree of firm adhesion, it is necessary to use special connecting means.

One suitable connecting device is shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Two adjacent concrete floating structural units 23 and 24 are joined together by a connecting device 25. The device 25 has an H cross section at the point of attachment to the adjacent structural units 23 and 24. It preferably has rectangular cross section throughout most of its length, however. The two rigid side members 26 and 27 of the connecting device are fixed to the structural units 23 and 24 by means of bolts 28 or any other suitable attaching means. The side members may be of concrete or like material. Intermediate the two side members 26 and 37 is a central flexible member 29 bonded to each of the side members 26 and 27 of the connecting device. The member 29 may be a polysulfide polymer or other elastic substance firmly bonded to the side members.

An alternative connecting device for connecting two adjacent concrete structural units is ShOWn in FIGURES 5 and 6. Aligned shock absorbing hard rubber cylinders 3t fit into appropriate recesses 32 and 33 in adjacent concrete structural units 38 and 45. A clevis arrangement provided between the spaced ends of cylinders 39, and including a ring shaped element 34 fixed to a connecting rod 31, is provided with a threaded extension 35. Rod 31 is aligned with the common axis of cylinders 30. The extension 35 threadably engages a tension sleeve 36 which is also threaded by an anchor bolt 37 embedded in the concrete structure 38. Rotation of the tension sleeve 36 by means of a crow bar or the like inserted in the holes or slots 39 adjusts the position of units 38 and 45 relative to each other.

Rod 31 is connected to a hollow connecting arm til which acts as a housing for a tension spring 4 1 bearing against the end plate 42 of the housing 49 and against the head 43 of an anchor bolt 44 embedded in the concrete structure 45. Thus, element 34 is connected to arm by rod 31. A firm yet flexible connecting element is thus provided. A plurality of such connecting elements can be provided at convenient intervals along the sides of adjacent concrete structural units.

FIGURE 7 shows a breakwater uni-t embodying the principle of the present invention. In this breakwater unit, a plurality of spaced-apart water splitter plates 45 are secured to the deck or upper surface layer 46 of a concrete structural unit 47 according to the invention. Preferably the plates 45 are disposed at an angle to the transverse axis of unit 47 to allow for wind action and are grouted and bolted to the deck 46 of unit 47. The front edge 48 of each of the plates 45 rises upwardly at an angle to the front edge of unit 47 and a series of surge panels 49, which are preferably of precast concrete, are disposed one between each pair of the plates 45 and secured thereto. The panels 49 form with the lower front edges of the plates 45 a continuous inclined barrier against which the waves are broken and the upper sections of plates 45 form a further barrier effective for further attenuating the wave action.

A convenient manner of assembling the floating concrete structures according to the invention is shown in FIG- URE 8. A plurality of supporting pillars 51 are provided for supporting ends of the side walls 14 of which the lower portion of the structural unit is constructed. The side walls 14 may conveniently be precast concrete reinforced with reinforcing bars 52. It will be seen that at the junction 53 of four perpendicularly arranged walls, there is an open space in which the protruding ends of the reinforcing bars 52 project. The hollow space can then be filled with grouting to bond the adjacent ends of the panels 14 together. The grouting attaches firmly to the projecting ends of the reinforcing rods, providing an eflicient and solid bond.

After the wall panels 14 have been grouted together, the upper surface 11 may then be poured on after a suitable structure for supporting the layer 111. has been introduced into each of the cells formed by the panel walls 14. The upper surface 11 adheres firmly to the ends of the connecting rods 52 projecting above the panels 14, thus ensuring a solid connection. After the unit has been thus assembled, the interior walls of the cells can be sprayed with a suitable sealant, a suitable launching apparatus placed underneath the floating concrete structure, the concrete supporting pillars 51 removed, and the floating structure launched.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A floatable structure comprising an upper non-floating rigid layer, a plurality of side walls secured to and depending from said layer arranged to define horizontally side by side air cells, said side Walls terminating in free lower edges for immersison downwardly in a body of water to trap air in the cells for supporting the layer, an imperforate hollow air supply pipe for conveying air under pressure into each of a plurality of cells and being provided with an air intake open upper terminal end opening out from the exterior of the upper layer for connection to an air pressure supply, each pipe extending downwardly through the layer and terminating in a lower air outlet open end in the lower portion of its respective cell in close proximity to a plane through the free edges of the side walls, each pipe being long enough to immerse in the water when the lower edges of said walls are immersed therein and to feed the air of said each pipe into the trapped air in the cell for adjusting the buoyant support of the upper layer, an air outlet pipe extending from exteriorly of the upper layer and opening into the upper portion of said each cell near said layer, and a control valve in each of said outlet pipes operable to release trapped air from the respective cell of said each outlet pipe.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said material is concrete.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 2 wherein each cell is lined with a sealing substance.

4. A structure as claimed in claim 1 including a plurality of breakwater plates secured to and upstanding from said upper layer, said plates being disposed in parallel spaced-apart relationship thereon.

5. A structure as claimed in claim 4 wherein said upstanding breakwater plates are disposed in planes inclined in a rearward direction from a front edge of said upper layer and wherein the front edges of said breakwater plates are inclined upwardly and rearwardly from said front edge.

6. A structure as claimed in claim 5 additionally including a series of surge plates, one of said surge plates disposed between each adjacent pair of said breakwater plates and secured thereto, said surge plates forming with the lower front portions of said breakwater plates 21 continuous water barrier inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front edge of the upper layer.

7. A floatable structure comprising an upper non-floating rigid layer, a plurailty of side walls secured to and depending from said layer arranged to define horizontally side by side air cells, said side walls terminating in free lower edges for immersion downwardly in a body of water to trap air in the cells for supporting the layer, an imperforate hollow air supply pipe for conveying air under pressure into each of a plurailty of cells and being provided with an air intake open upper terminal end opening out from the exterior of the upper layer for connection to an air pressure supply, each pipe extending downwardly through the layer and terminating in a lower air outlet p n end in 1 lower portion of its respective cell in close proximity to a plane through the free edges of the side walls, each pipe being long enough to immerse in the Water when the lower edges of said walls are immersed therein and to feed the air of said each pipe into the trapped air in the cell for adjusting the buoyant support of the upper layer, a plurality of breakwater plates secured to and upstanding from said upper layer, said plates being disposed in parallel spaced-apart relationship thereon, said breakwater plates being disposed in planes inclined in a rearward direction from a front edge of said upper layer, and the front edges of said breakwater plates being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from said front edge of the upper layer.

8. A structure as claimed in claim 7 additionally including a series of surge plates, one of said surge plates disposed between each adjacent pair of said breakwater plates and secured thereto, said surge plates forming with the lower front portions of said breakwater plates a continuous water barrier inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front edge of the upper layer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Watt.

White 61-5 Hartzler et al.

Schneider 61--46.5 X Moran 6146.5 X

Moran 6l81 King.

Gardner.

Amirikian 114- 5 Magill 615 Goodman.

Parks 114.5 Smith 615 Askevold 615 Hutchings 615 EARL l. WITMER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FLOATABLE STRUCTURE COMPRISING AN UPPER NON-FLOATING RIGID LAYER, A PLURALITY OF SIDE WALLS SECURED TO AND DEPENDING FROM SAID LAYER ARRANGED TO DEFINE HORIZONTALLY SIDE BY SIDE AIR CELLS, SAID SIDE WALLS TERMINATING IN FREE LOWER EDGES FOR IMMERSISON DOWNWARDLY IN A BODY OF WATER TO TRAP AIR IN THE CELLS FOR SUPPORTING THE LAYER, AN IMPERFORATE HOLLOW AIR SUPPLY PIPE FOR CONVEYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO EACH OF A PLURALITY OF CELLS AND BEING PROVIDED WITH AN AIR INTAKE OPEN UPPER TERMINAL END OPENING OUT FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE UPPER LAYER FOR CONNECTION TO AN AIR PRESSURE SUPPLY, EACH PIPE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE LAYER AND TERMINATING IN A LOWER AIR OUTLET OPEN END IN THE LOWER PORTION OF ITS RESPECTIVE CELL IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A PLANE THROUGH THE FREE EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS, EACH PIPE BEING LONG ENOUGH TO IMMERSE IN THE WATER WHEN THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID WALLS ARE IMMERSE THEREIN AND TO FEED THE AIR OF SAID EACH PIPE INTO THE TRAPPED AIR IN THE CELL FOR ADJUSTING THE BUOYANT SUPPORT OF THE UPPER LAYER, AN AIR OUTLET PIPE EXTENDING FROM EXTERIORLY OF THE UPPER LAYER AND OPENING INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID EACH CELL NEAR SAID LAYER, AND A CONTRL VALVE IN EACH OF SAID OUTLET PIPES OPERABLE TO RELEASE TRAPPED AIR FROM THE RESPECTIVE CELL OF SAID EACH OUTLET PIPE. 